Curfew Hearing Delayed

DIGEST

March 1, 1994|Staff reports

PARKLAND — A ruling on whether a Dade County nighttime curfew for teen-agers should be allowed to stand has been delayed.

Dade Circuit Judge Norman Gerstein canceled a hearing scheduled for today and instead gave attorneys until Monday afternoon to turn in any documents they want the judge to review before he hands down a decision.

Last week, during the first hearing on Dade's curfew, the judge heard hours of debate. County attorneys say the law should stand to give police another tool to reduce crime.

Attorneys representing the American Civil Liberties Union argue that the law should be scrapped for constitutional reasons. They are seeking an injunction to immediately halt enforcement of the curfew, which applies to youths under age 17.

The curfew went into effect on Feb. 17. Teens unaccompanied by adults are banned from the streets from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weeknights and from midnight to 6 a.m. on weekends.